Copyright The Oregonian
Portland leaders on Wednesday agreed to accept $7.5 million from the region’s public transit agency and a hired contractor following a botched construction project in the city’s Central Eastside. The settlement, unanimously approved in a 9-0 City Council vote, comes more than three years after Portland officials filed a $10 million lawsuit against TriMet and Stacy Witbeck, a California-based company. The city had tapped the transit agency in 2012 to oversee fixes to a Portland Streetcar platform near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The project was part of a broader effort by Portland and TriMet to extend the streetcar system beyond downtown and create a full loop around the central city with a connection over the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. According to the city’s lawsuit, TriMet’s selected contractor, Stacy Witbeck, badly bungled the platform project, causing millions of dollars in needed repairs to the city-owned property. In 2015, a city-hired engineer found serious damage to the platform, including cracked walls and empty space undermining the structure that needed to be filled, court documents allege. Portland attorneys had sued TriMet and Stacy Witbeck for negligence and breach of contract. In a statement Wednesday, a TriMet spokesperson said the agency “appreciates our partnership with the city of Portland in providing valuable public transportation services to our region.” The agency’s insurance will cover the cost of the settlement, the spokesperson said. No general funds or payroll tax revenue collected by the agency will be used. Stacy Witbeck did not respond to a request for comment. Councilors Candace Avalos, Sameer Kanal and Tiffany Koyama Lane were absent from Wednesday’s settlement vote.
